CORRECTING THE RECORD: You Can Park a Tiny Home Anywhere in Virginia Beach

FICTION: McMansion or tiny, a house can only be placed in an area zoned for a house.

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​​​​​​​A recent news story interviewed a builder about tiny homes and where they could be placed. His response: “Anywhere!” Although technically correct, it’s not legally correct.

Virginia Beach does not have a specific ordinance for “tiny houses,” the titular home of the social movement that’s less than 500 square feet. However, if a tiny house, or any house for that matter, meets the requirements of the state building code, it will be treated like any other residential space.

A tiny house could be legally placed in any district that’s zoned for a single-family residence. Some areas in Virginia Beach allow for multiple single family homes to be built on one lot, like a duplex. However, even if a builder had the physical space for 50 homes on one lot, they can only place as many houses on the lot as the zoning rules allow.

For more information about the zoning regulations in Virginia Beach, please visit VBgov.com/zoning​.